Elf (D
text Basic Dungeons and Dragons Elves are slender, graceful demi-humans with delicate features and slightly pointed ears. They are 5 to 5' 2" feet tall and weigh about 120 pounds. They can be dangerous opponents, able to fight with any weapon and use magic spells as well, but prefer to spend their time feasting and frolicking in wooded glades. They rarely visit the cities of men. Elves are fascinated by magic and never grow tired of collecting spells and magic items, especially if the items are beautifully crafted. Alignment Most Elves are Neutral in alignment. Society When 15 or more Elves are encountered one of them will be a leader (level 2-7 of the Elf class). The leader will tend to have a magical item on them depending on thier level (5 x character level = chance of magical item). Elves are more often encountered in small groups of 1 to 4 individuals partaking in feasts or games. A lone Elf may be a hunter, a scout, a traveling bard, a merriman, or adventurer to be recruited. Elven society is generally secretive to outsiders but to Elves is known as clanish. A clan typically consisting of three or more families (groups of 15 or more) with multiple clans forming settlements around 'Trees of Life'. Trees of Life are important to Elves, each was grown from a branch of the Sacred Tree- Elven life is tied to this tree; which is part of the secrecy. If the Sacred Tree, which is the Tree of Life for the oldest Elven Clan dies- all Elves will perish. It is a terrible weakness for the species- which is why Elves have taken great steps towards keeping it's location hidden, and further steps to protect their forests. Some oaks are 'inhabited' by Elven spirits who can be 'awakened'. The nature of this is a 'Magic Jar' spell. It's one way for Elves to hide in the forest, assuming at least one remains behind to 'awaken' them from the tree. These Trees of Life which are connected to a clan's lifeforce are part of why they hold on to land so dearly. While the lose of the Sacred Tree would kill them all the lose of a Clan's tree would kill not only that clan but all the clans decended from them. Such death is generally slow, each successor tree dying as the common ancestor tree does in turn based on when it's branch was plucked. Enemies Elves come into conflict with Humans over the forests of the world though Orcs, Hobgoblins and Gnolls give greater trouble which is why Elves tend to know Common, Orcish, Hobgoblin, and Gnoll as languages. Dragons have an interest in acquiring Magical Items, and Red Dragons will burn forests seeking hidden elven settlements should rumors of what the Elves possess reach them. Green Dragons are more commonly encountered, their chlorine gas breath attack has the potential to kill many Elves and Animals without causing the same ruin fire would. Green Dragons enjoy the ability to blend in with the forest so destroying it utterly is counter intuitive. Player Characters The prime requisites for an elf are Strength and Intelligence. If an elf has a score of 13 or greater in both Strength and Intelligence, the character will gain a 5% bonus on earned experience points. If the elf's Strength is 13 or greater and his or her Intelligence is 16 or greater, that character will earn a 10% bonus on earned experience. Restrictions Elves use six-sided dice (d6) to determine their hit points. They may advance to a maximum of 10th level of experience. Elves have the advantages of both fighters and magicusers. They may use shields and can wear any type of armor, and may fight with any kind of weapon. They can also cast spells like a magic-user, and use the same spell list. A character must have an intelligence of 9 or greater to be an elf. Elves are similar to both fighters and magic-users. Read the description of the fighter class for some tips on playing a fighter-type character, but remember that your elf does not have as many hit points as a fighter. Be sure your character is either undamaged or only slightly hurt before you enter a battle; otherwise, stay back and help with magic spells, as a magic-user does. Special Abilities Elves have infravision (heat-sensing sight) and can see 60 feet in the dark. When looking for secret or hidden doors, elves are able to find them one-third of the time (a roll of 1 or 2 on 1d6). Elves cannot be paralyzed by the attacks of ghouls. All elves speak Common, Elvish, and the alignment tongue of the character, plus the languages of orcs, hobgoblins, and gnolls. The intelligence of an Elf determines how many of those languages they know. An intelligence of 9-12 allows them to speak read and write 2 native languages (Common and Elvish), 13-15 adds their alignment language (Chaotic, Neutral or Lawful). 16-17 adds an additional language after the alignment tongue, and 18 adds another. The options for starting characters of 16 to 18 intelligence are Orcish, Hobgoblin, and Gnoll. Sources *1981 Player's Handbook *1983 Player's Handbook *Creature Catalogue (Aquatic Elf has a sacred Kelp that works like a Tree of Life affirming such Trees place among Elfkind). *Tree of Life Adventure Module (reveals the species weakness) Category:D&D Category:Humanoids D&D Category:Elf Theme D&D